


normalcy

by sleeponrooftops



Series: raising webhead: a parenting guide, attempted by the science boyfriends [34]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-06
Updated: 2013-07-06
Packaged: 2017-12-17 21:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/872187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter and Flash start their project on the solar system while Tony and Bruce discuss private boats to Alaska and icebergs.  It’s a quiet evening, and Tony’s not sure when normal was something he understood, but he likes it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	normalcy

_Two weeks later._

_December, 2020_

 

“ _Dude_ ,” Tony whines when Peter dumps an armful of books on one of his desks in his corner, “What did you do, rob a library?”

 

Bruce flicks him on the ear as he goes by, and Tony rolls his eyes.  “Peter and Flash are working together on a project about the solar system, and they’ve asked us not to help them,” he says, grabbing a chair and turning it so he can sit backward and push over behind Tony, leaning his forehead on the back of his shoulder.

 

Tony makes a soft noise before asking quietly, “Feeling okay?”

 

“Not really,” Bruce mumbles before lifting his head, kissing Tony’s shoulder, and coming around front so he can see him, “Think we can trust them alone in here?”

 

“Yeah, why?  What do you need me to do?” he asks, taking one of Bruce’s hands and lifting it to his mouth.

 

Bruce taps his temple, “Definite migraine coming on.  Can we just—go downstairs and lay down?”

 

“Yeah, of course,” Tony says, leaning forward to kiss him before shutting down his monitors and standing up.  “Peter,” he begins, and Peter brightens immediately, smacking Flash excitedly.  “I’m entrusting the lab to you, okay?”

 

“We’ll be good, I swear.  We’ll stay over in my corner, and we won’t touch anything.”

 

“This is a big step,” Tony says as Bruce stands, “Don’t make me regret this.”

 

“I won’t.  Thank you, dads!” he exclaims before turning back around, smacking Flash again until Flash kicks his chair away.  They wait until Tony and Bruce are gone before Peter spins around, facing Flash.  “Okay, are you ready for this?  It’s going to be awesome.”  Flash nods, grinning, so Peter continues, “Jarvis, bring up a manipulation of our solar system.”

 

The lights dim before planets flicker to life, surrounding them, and they look around in awe.  “Woah,” Flash says, glancing at Peter, “This is really cool.”

 

“Thanks, Jarvis,” Peter says, and the lights come back on.  “I was thinking, okay—we can make a regular one, and then do this after.”

 

“Like, show what we created but how it actually is, too?”

 

“Yeah, something like that.  Do you think Mrs. James’ will believe we did it ourselves, though?”

 

“Well, are we going to?”

 

“Yeah, I can’t _bring_ Jarvis to school.  Well, I mean—I _can_ , technically, but I want to try to build something, like a little ball or something that has what he just showed us programmed inside.”

 

“Can you _do that_?” Flash asks, giving him a look of disbelief.

 

Peter rolls his eyes before pushing over to one of his desks, pulling up a command prompt and typing slowly until lines of code fill one of his monitors.  He turns back around, smirking smugly.  “I’ve been reading code since before we learned how to read in school,” he says, “My dads said that, when I was little and in the lab, if they were trying to get something done and I wouldn’t let them be in peace, they’d hand me a tablet filled with code and tell me to read it out loud.  I guess they started explaining what some of it meant, too, and now I mostly can understand it.  So yeah, I’ll figure it out.  I can show you, too, and we’ll do it together.”

 

“Alright,” Flash says shrugging, “Sounds awesome.  We should build the other model first, though.  It’s due next week, so, if we don’t get the Jarvis one done, then we’ll at least have the regular one.”

 

“Let’s get to work, then,” Peter says, grinning.

 

Downstairs, Tony and Bruce are in their room, Tony relaxed against numerous pillows and Bruce between his legs, his head on his stomach and Tony’s fingers in his hair, slowly massaging his scalp.  The lights are off, and the windows are almost entirely darkened, so the room is cast only minimally in the soft glow of dusk, though there’s a shadow of blue around the bed.

 

Bruce hums suddenly, shifting, and says, “I’m thinking about icebergs.”

 

“We should vacation in Alaska sometime—take a cruise or something.  Private boat.”

 

“Private boat,” Bruce muses, smiling lightly, “Jarvis, something on icebergs, maybe on the Discovery Channel, cut out the dialogue.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Cut out the dialogue?” Tony repeats, thumbing over one of Bruce’s eyebrows before he starts in on his temples, where the grey is most prominent.

 

“Just icebergs and ambience.”

 

“Some people call that a soundtrack.”

 

“Most people are stupid.”

 

Tony laughs softly, letting his head drop back.  “It’s terrifying how much you sound like me sometimes.”

 

“I’m very impressionable, I don’t get a lot of human contact, and you’re addictive.”

 

“Addictive, hm?”

 

“Tony,” he groans, and Tony pulls his head back up, frowning.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“I’m gonna be sick in, like, t-minus five seconds.”

 

“Get up, then.  Come on, I have a better idea than icebergs.”  Tony helps Bruce out of bed and into the bathroom, where Jarvis has dimmed the lights.  Bruce waves Tony away when he stumbles toward the toilet, so Tony just goes over to the bath next to the shower, turning on the tap and letting it flow.  “Jay, to Bruce’s liking,” he murmurs before he goes over to the small closet to the left of Bruce and takes an armful of candles down from the top shelf.  He sets them up around the bath, a few on the vanity, and lights them before saying, “Lights off, all the way.”

 

Jarvis dims them the rest of the way, switches on a very light track of waves, but then Bruce flushes the toilet and says, “No, rain,” so he changes it to the pitter patter of rain.

 

“Come on, darling,” Tony says fondly, getting Bruce to his feet and stripping him of his clothes.  He helps Bruce get into the bath, slips behind him before he sits, and then he’s back to massaging his scalp, the hot water settling around them.

 

“Do you even know how lucky I am to have you?” Bruce murmurs, drifting toward sleep.

 

“I think you’ve got that backward,” Tony whispers, leaning down to kiss his temple, “I’d be lost without you, Bruce.”

 

Bruce hums, and then he’s gone, heavy weight leaned back against Tony’s body, and Tony just smiles and relaxes.

 

Jarvis wakes them an hour later with a soft, “Sirs,” and a rapid cooling of the water until Tony jerks awake, and the water resumes temperature.

 

“Bruce,” he mumbles, tapping his collarbone, “Bruce, wake up.”

 

“Nope, don’t feel like it,” Bruce says, and Tony grins.

 

“Come on, I’m pruny, and I have to pee.”  It takes a few minutes, but Bruce eventually disentangles himself and climbs out of the bath, padding naked into their bedroom.  He gets dressed in a pair of sweats and one of Tony’s big sweatshirts so that it just swallows him up, and Tony smiles when he comes out and sees him.  “Stay in bed,” he says, kissing Bruce lightly, “I’ll make dinner.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah, it’s fine.  How are you feeling?”

 

“Better, but still shitty.”

 

“Bed,” is all Tony says, giving him a little push.  Bruce goes over to the bed and curls up under the blankets, mumbling incoherently to Jarvis, who somehow understands and puts on his earlier request.  Tony dresses, disappears back into the bathroom, and then is leaving the room.  He returns with a tall glass of water and two pills, and he sits on the edge of the bed, handing them over.  Bruce takes them with a small smile, and then he’s settling back into bed, and Tony’s pressing a kiss to his forehead.  “Sleep,” he whispers, kissing his mouth this time, “I love you.”

 

“I love _you_ ,” Bruce murmurs, already drifting, and Tony just smiles before leaving him and his icebergs.

 

He goes back up to the lab, where the boys are elbow-deep in making planets, and he stops by to check on their progress before heading for his monitors.  “What do you guys feel like for dinner?”

  
“Pizza!” Peter exclaims, looking hopeful.

 

“No,” Tony shuts him down, not looking over, “We had pizza last week.”

 

“Do you like spicy things?” he asks Flash, who shrugs.  “So no,” Peter says, making a face at him, “What about spaghetti?”

  
“I _love_ spaghetti,” Flash says, grinning.

 

“Spaghetti!” Peter says, and Tony holds up a thumb.

 

“Can do, little man.”

 

“Is dad okay, dad?” he asks, and Tony looks over, nodding.

 

“Yeah, he just has a bad headache, he’ll be fine.  Just the three of us tonight probably, though, that okay?”

 

“That’s fine.”

 

“Flash, does your mother know you’re staying for dinner?  If not,” he continues when Flash’s eyes go wide, “Call her, and ask if it’s okay.  I can take you home either after or anytime before seven.”

 

“Seven,” Peter whispers, and Tony turns back to his monitors.  They whisper back and forth before Peter’s saying, “Jarvis, call Mrs. Thompson.  Here you go,” he adds, handing Flash an ear piece, and Tony smiles, opening up the video feed to their bedroom, leaving it off to the side so he can periodically check on Bruce, before he gets to work.


End file.
